Pencil-sharpening device.



RI Cl PENCILSHARPENING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED JUL'Y 3.1916.

Patented Feb.12,191&

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RALPH C. SIMMONS, OF BEVERLY, MASSACHUSETTS.

PENCIL-SHARPENING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 12, 1918.

Application filed July 3, 1916. Serial No. 107,215.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RALPH C. SIMMONS, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Beverly, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Pencil-Sharpening Devices, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings. is a specification, like characters on the drawings representing like parts.

his invention relates to sharpening devices and is herein shown as embodied in a device for sharpening pencils. The invention has for its object to provide a sharpening device with which a plurality of pencils of different diameters may be sharpened equally by a single operation.

he invention further has for its object to provide a simple and inexpensive device for the purpose specified.

0 this end, the device or apparatus is provided with a conical cutter located within a suitable case or receptacle, which is provided with a rotatable member constituting a cover for the receptacle, and is provided with a plurality of conical guides of differwhich have the same or substantially the same angle as that of the cutter, and which are arranged with relation to the cutting surface of the conical cutter, so that the apiees of the conical guides have the same relation to the cutting surface of the conical cutter in all positions of adjustment, whereby a uniform amount of cut is obtained on all diameters of pencils at any adjustment, and whereby the conical guides may be made in one piece with the cover and be simultaneously adjusted by movement of the cover axially with relation to the cutter.

The conical guides may be separated from the center of the conical cutter the same or different distances, providing however that the said guides form with the cutting surface of the conical cutter substantially the same angle, with the apices of the conical guides in the conical surface of the cutter in some position of adjustment of said conical guides.

The conical cutter may be a solid cutter with the cutting surface on the outer side of the cone, or it may be and preferably will be made as a strip of pressed metal, such as sheetsteel, which is resilient and expands in conta with. t e

casing or receptacle and has its conical cutting surfaces on the inner side of the said strip.

These and other features of this invention will be pointed out in the claims at the Figs. 4 and 5, details to illustrate the relation of the guide to an outside and an inside cutter.

Figs. 6, 7 and 8. details of the sheet metal cutter shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 9, a vertical section of a modified form of sharpening device provided with a solid central cutter, and

Fig. 10, a cross-section on the line 10-10, Fi 9.

fieferring to Figs. 1 to case or receptacle,

8. a represents a preferably circular in form and provided with a body portion, which is open at one end and closed at its other end or bottom 6, which latter has extended from it a substantially central 1101- low hub or post 0.

The case or receptacle a may be detachably secured to a base (Z by providing the lower end of the hollow hub or post 0 with screw-threads 10, which are engaged with a threaded stud or projection 12 on the base cl. The base (Z may be secured to a desk, table or other support by means of screws, not shown, but which are passed through holes 13 in said base.

The case a contains within it a cutter, which may be made from a steel or other suitable metal strip 14, which is provided with a plurality of inclined blades 15, which may be formed by cutting the strip 14 in a manner well understood to permit the cut portions to be pressed inwardly to project away from the strip 14 and form the blades 15 and to leave slots 16 in the metal strip.

The blades 15 are made wider at their lower ends. so as to provide the same with a cutting edge, which inclines downwardly from near the upper edge of the strip 14 toward the bottom edge thereof, whereby, when the strip 14 is bent into the form of a circle and fitted within the circular body portion of the case a, the latter will be provided with'a conical cutter formed by the series of inclined blades '15, whose cutting edges are arranged in the circumference of a cone with the axis of the hollow post or hub 0 as a center, and said blades will be hereinafter referred to as a conical cutter. The sheet metal strip 14 may be secured in fixed relation to the case a in any suitable manner, and, in the present instance, the strip 14 has its lower edge supported by an annular ledge or shoulder 18 on the inner surface of the body portion of the case a, and has its upper portion provided with suitable holes 20, which are designed to spring over suitable pins 21 on the body portion of the case a.

It will be seen that the sheet metal cutter may be made at a minimum cost, and may be attached to and detached from the case a substantially in an instant..

The conical cutter 15 has cooperating with it a plurality of conical guides, shown in Figs. 1 and 2 as two in number and marked 25, 26, which may be integral with a rotatable member 27, forming a cover for the receptacle or case a. The cover 27 is adjustably mounted on a center pin having an en larged screw-threaded upper portion 28 and a smaller smooth lower portion 29, which is extended into the hollow post or hub c, and is supported by the lower surface of the upper portion 28 bearing upon the upper end of the hub or hollow post 0. The cover 27 is provided with a central opening having screw-threads, which engage the screwthreads of the upper portion 28 of said center pin, and by turning the cover on the threaded upper portion 28 of the center pin, the guides 25, 26, may be simultaneously adjusted with relation to the conical cutter 15, and may be secured in their adjusted position by a nut 30 on the threaded portion 28 of the center pin.

Each of the conical guides is cut away to form a face 31 (see Figs. 4 and 5), which has substantially the same angle or inclination as the conical cutter 15, and said face is provided with a slot 32, through which the end of the pencil to be sharpened may project and make contact with the conical cutter. The conical guides 25. 26, are of different diameters so as to receive pencils 33, 34, of different sizes or diameters, and in order that the pencils 33, 34, may be sharpened an equal amount by rotation of the cover 27, and at different adjustments of the cover on the center pin, the said conical guides are constructed so that their angles are substantially equal and also substantially equal to that of the conical cutter, and further so that their apices have substantially the same relation to the conical cutter in all positions of adjustment. As a result of this con-' struction and arrangement of the conical.

guides, a uniform amount of cut isobtained on all dlameters" ofpencils at any adjustment smaller than the guide of the cover and guides, and said guides may be made integral with the cover, and simultaneously adjusted with relation to the conical cutter by rotation of the cover, which enables pencils of different diameters to be sharpened equally by a single adjustment.

By reference to Fig. 2, it will be seen that the apex of the guide 25, which latter is p 26, lies in the plane of the conical cutter, as does also the apex of the guide 26, and therefore the same amount of cut is made in eachpencil, notwithstanding the difference in diameters of the pencils and notwithstanding the axes of the guides may be different distances from the center of the conical cutter.

In Fig. 2, the guides are shown as arranged with relation to a cutter attached to the body of the case a and having an outside position with relation to the path of movement of the'guides, but it is not desired to limit the invention in this respect, as it is equally applicable to a sharpening device in which a conical cutter is located within the path of movement of the guides as shown in Figs. 9 and 10.

Referring to Fig. 9, 40 represents a cone having cutting blades or edges 41, on the exterior thereof, and said cone is screwed into a short hollow post 42 and is provided with a center bore 43 for the reception of the lower portion 29 of the center pin. The cone 40 constitutes the support for the threaded upper end 28 of the center pin.

It will be observed that the conical guides cutter and consequently the same amount is cut from either pencils 1n the adjusted position by rotation of the cover.

The arrangement of the cutting edges of the cutter with relation to the path of move ment of the pencil is such that the pressure of the pencil against the cutting edge'is in such direction as to holdthe cutter firmly to its seat and thereby offer the maximum resistance to the movement of the pencil and also dispense with the necessity for employing other means for keeping the cutter firmly on its seat.

Claims:

1. In combination, a case, a stationary conical cutter located therein, a rotatable cover for said case, a plurality of conical guides carried by said cover and having their conical end portions extended into said case and provided with faces having angle:

to the plane of the T substantially equal to that of the cutter, said guides being located on said cover so that the apices of the conical portions within the case have substantially the same relation to the cutting surface of said cutter in the adjustments of the cover with relation to said cutter.

2. In combination, a stationary cutter, a plurality of guides arranged to rotate about said cutter, and means for simultaneously adjusting the relation of the guides to the cutter equally.

3. In combination, a stationary conical cutting member, a plurality of pencil guides of different diameters having conical p0rtions of substantially the same angle as that of the cutting member and having their apices in substantially the same relation to the cutting surface of said cutting member, and rotatable means for supporting said guides adjustable axially With relation to said cutter.

41-. In combination, a conical cutter, a plurality of conical guides having substantially the same angle as the cutting surface of said cutter and arranged with relation to the latter to have their apices substantially in the conical surface of the cutter at some position of adjustment of said guides, and rotatable means supporting said guides and axially movable with relation to said cutter to effect adjustment of said guides with relation to said cutter.

5. In combination, a conical cutter, and a plurality of conical guides cooperating therewith and rotatable about the axis of said cutter and adjustable lengthwise of the latter, and rotatable means to support said guides, the latter having substantially the same relation to the cutting surface of the conical cutter in all positions of adjustment. 6. In combination, a case, a sheet metal strip detachably secured within said case and provided with a plurality of inclined cutting blades extended toward the center of the said case to form a conical cutter, a cover for said case provided with a plurality of conical guides extended from the under side of the cover and having substantially the same angle as that of and a rotatable center pin on which said cover is mounted.

In combination, a case, a conical cutter located therein, a cover having a plurality of conical guides integral therewith and extended into the said case and having sub stantially the same angle as that of the cutter, and a rotatable center pin on which said cover i adjustably mounted.

In combination, a conical cutter, a plurality of conical guides having substantially the same angle as the cutting surface of said cutter, and a rotatable support for said conical guides movable axiall 1 with relation to said conical cutter to effect adjustment of said guides with relation to said cutter.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

RALPH C. SIMMONS.

Copies of? this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of latenta, Washington, I). C.

the said cutting blades, 

